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Hands-On Exercise 1: The Empathy Engine

Comfort

The Prompt

Copy the prompt below and paste it directly into your AI tool of choice.


ROLE: 
Act as a highly empathetic but firm Student Success Coordinator.

REQUEST: 
Draft an email to a student who has missed a critical deadline.

GOAL: 
To clearly deliver the bad news that the deadline has passed, while de-escalating their panic by offering alternative solutions.

CONTEXT: 
The student missed the deadline for: [Insert Deadline: e.g., financial aid submission, class drop/add period, graduation application]. 

They are panicking because [Insert Reason: e.g., they think they will be dropped from their classes, they won't get their refund].

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Start by validating their stress, but clearly state the deadline has passed and exceptions cannot be made.
- Provide 2 clear, actionable alternative steps they can take right now.
- Keep the tone professional, supportive, and concise.


Hands-On Exercise 2: The Career Resource Iteration

confidence

The Prompt

Copy the prompt below and paste it directly into your AI tool of choice.


ROLE:
Act as an expert career counselor and workforce readiness coach.

REQUEST:
Design a 1-page quick-start guide for students preparing for an upcoming job fair or interview.

GOAL:
To move students from feeling overwhelmed to feeling prepared, professional, and confident.


CONTEXT:
The topic we are covering is: 
[Insert Topic, e.g., how to write a 30-second elevator pitch, what to wear to an advanced manufacturing job fair, how to format a resume with no industry experience]. 

The students often wait until the last minute and need highly actionable advice.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Provide a step-by-step breakdown of the top 3 things they must do right now.

Include a short list of the most common mistakes to avoid.

Give me one "pro-tip" to help them stand out to local employers.


The Iteration Prompt


Adjust this guide. Our students are mostly adult learners transitioning to new careers, not 18-year-old freshmen. Make the advice more relevant to someone who already has previous, unrelated work experience. Also, format your new response as a simple bullet-point checklist so they can easily read it on their phones while walking into the event.


Hands-On Exercise 3: The Meeting Synthesizer

competence 101

The Prompt

Copy the prompt below and paste it directly into your AI tool of choice.


ROLE: 
Act as an organized, highly efficient Executive Assistant.

REQUEST: 
Take my rough, disorganized meeting notes and turn them into a structured action plan.

GOAL: 
To provide our department with a clear, readable summary of what was discussed and exactly who needs to do what next.

CONTEXT: 
The meeting was about: 
[Insert Meeting Topic: e.g., New Fall Enrollment Initiatives]. 

My raw notes are located under ###Meeting-Notes.

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Organize this into sections with clear subheadings.
- Group similar topics together logically.
- At the very top of the document, create a bolded "Top 3 Action Items" list.
- Fix any typos or grammatical errors from my notes, but do not invent any new information.

###Meeting-Notes: 
[Paste rough, stream-of-consciousness bullet points here]


Sample Topic


Fall Welcome Week & Registration Rush Logistics


Sample Meeting Notes


- Meeting started 10:15. Theme this year is "Welcome Home DCC"
- Sarah from Fin Aid said they need extra tables outside their office to manage the line. Wait, she just updated it to 4 tables, not 3.
- IT is setting up a mobile printing station in the student center so students can print schedules. John is taking care of this.
- We desperately need better directional signs, students always get lost finding the advising center.
- Mark is going to call the vendor today to rush order.
- Are we doing the free pizza lunch on Tuesday or Wed? Decided on Tuesday. Need to make sure we have gluten free and vegetarian options this year!!
- Campus Police needs a list of all outdoor events by this Friday to schedule patrols. Someone needs to send that to Officer Davis.
- Student ambassadors need their new blue t-shirts by Monday morning at 8am. Who has the boxes in their office? I think Brenda? Please check.
- IMPORTANT: Web team needs to update the homepage banner with our extended office hours (M-Th 8am-7pm, Fri 8am-12pm).


Hands-On Exercise 4a: The Profile-Driven FAQ for Student Services

competence 201

The Prompt

Copy the prompt below and paste it directly into your AI tool of choice.


ROLE: 
Act as the Director of Communications for a community college.

REQUEST: 
Create a 1-page "Welcome & FAQ" handout for the first week of classes.

GOAL: 
To proactively answer the most common questions, drastically reduce phone call volume, and make students feel supported rather than stressed.

CONTEXT: 
Write this from the perspective of the department located under ###Department-Profile. 

Tailor the language and tone to the students described in ###Audience-Profile.

Address the specific questions and facts located under ###Top-Questions. 

INSTRUCTIONS:
Draft a short, warm welcome paragraph from our department.
Answer the 3 questions simply and directly, avoiding federal or administrative jargon.
Structure the answers as a bullet-point summary.
Include placeholders where I need to add specific links or phone numbers (e.g., [Insert Link Here]).

###Department-Profile:
[Insert Department Name, Brand Voice, and Mission. e.g., Financial Aid Office, Welcoming and clear tone, Mission to remove financial barriers]

###Audience-Profile:
[Insert target audience. e.g., First-generation students, highly anxious about paying for classes, unfamiliar with college terminology]

###Top-Questions:
[Insert 5 common questions and the raw facts for the answers]


Sample Profiles


###Department-Profile:
Department Name: Danville Community College (DCC) Student Services and Support.
Brand Voice: Welcoming, patient, encouraging, and highly accessible.
Mission Statement: To guide students through their academic journey from day one to graduation, ensuring they never feel lost or unsupported on campus.

###Audience-Profile:
Audience Segment: A mix of recent high school graduates and returning adult learners.
Primary Pain Points: They are overwhelmed by navigating a new campus, confused by the online portals, and anxious about making a mistake with their schedule during the first week.
Key Motivators: They want to start the semester off right, find their classrooms easily, and know exactly who to ask for help when they get stuck.

###Top-Questions:
1. How do I find out where my classes are? (Fact: Students must log into the SIS Student Portal and view their class schedule. The building codes and room numbers are listed there. A campus map is available online or at the front desk).

2. Who is my academic advisor and how do I talk to them? (Fact: Advisors are assigned based on the student's major. Students can find their advisor's name in the Navigate system. During the first week of classes, we only take walk-ins; appointments resume in week two).

3. What is the deadline to change my schedule? (Fact: The official Drop/Add period ends this Friday at 5:00 PM. Students must make changes in the SIS portal, but they are highly encouraged to speak with Financial Aid first to ensure their funding isn't impacted).

4. How do I get my student ID and parking pass? (Fact: Both are issued at the Student Life Office located in the Student Center. Students need to bring a valid photo ID and their vehicle's license plate number).

5. Is there free tutoring if I start falling behind? (Fact: Yes. The Tutoring Center is located on the second floor of the Library. They offer free, walk-in support for math, writing, and core sciences for all enrolled students).


Hands-On Exercise 4b: The Profile-Driven FAQ for Human Resources

competence 201

The Prompt

Copy the prompt below and paste it directly into your AI tool of choice.


ROLE: 
Act as the Benefits Administrator and Internal Communications Expert for a community college Human Resources department.


REQUEST: 
Create a 1-page "Open Enrollment & Benefits FAQ" handout.

GOAL: 
To proactively answer the most common employee questions, drastically reduce HR helpdesk tickets and phone calls, and make staff feel supported rather than overwhelmed by their benefits.

CONTEXT: 
Write this from the perspective of the department located under ###Department-Profile.

Address the specific questions and facts located under ###Top-Questions.

Tailor the language and tone to the employees described in ###Audience-Profile.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Draft a short, warm welcome paragraph from our HR department.

Answer the 3 questions simply and directly, avoiding dense insurance or legal jargon.

Structure the answers as a bullet-point summary.

Include placeholders where I need to add specific links or phone numbers (e.g., [Insert Link Here]).

###Department-Profile:
[Insert Department Name, Brand Voice, and Mission. e.g., Human Resources, Supportive and clear tone, Mission to empower employees]

###Top-Questions:
[Insert 3 common questions and the raw facts for the answers]

###Audience-Profile:
[Insert target audience. e.g., Busy faculty and staff, anxious about healthcare costs, unfamiliar with insurance terminology]


Sample Profiles


###Department-Profile:
Department Name: Danville Community College (DCC) Human Resources Office.

Brand Voice: Supportive, clear, professional but highly approachable.

Mission Statement: To support DCC employees' well-being by providing clear guidance on their benefits so they can focus on their vital work at the college.

###Audience-Profile:
Audience Segment: DCC Faculty and Staff (mix of new hires and veteran employees).

Primary Pain Points: They are incredibly busy closing out the spring semester. They find insurance terminology confusing and are afraid of making a mistake that will cost their family money or coverage.

Key Motivators: They want to protect their families and maximize their paychecks. They need short, bolded action items, not long paragraphs or dense policy documents.

###Top-Questions:

1. How do I change my health insurance plan? (Fact: Employees must log into the Cardinal HCM portal between May 1st and May 15th. Any changes made will officially take effect on July 1st).

2. Does the college offer a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? (Fact: Yes, we offer FSAs for both medical and dependent care. However, you must proactively re-enroll every single year; it does not roll over automatically).

3. Where can I see what benefits I currently have? (Fact: Your current benefits summary is located in the Cardinal system. Click the 'Benefits' tile, then select 'Benefits Summary').


Hands-On Exercise 5: The "Find Your One" Workflow

mastery/take home

The Prompt

Copy the prompt below and paste it directly into your AI tool of choice.


ROLE: 
Act as a detail-oriented Event Coordinator and internal communications expert.

REQUEST: 
Plan a workflow and generate the assets for an upcoming department staff retreat.

GOAL: 
To streamline the planning process so I can get the event on the calendar and supplies ordered by the end of the day.

CONTEXT: 
Use the event details located under ###Event-Details

TONE: 
Fun, high-energy, and appreciative.

Acknowledge that they are taking time out of their busy schedules, so we want this to be valuable and enjoyable, not just another boring meeting.

INSTRUCTIONS: 
Complete the following 3 steps in order, clearly separating each step with a heading:

Step 1: Suggest 2 quick, non-awkward ice-breaker activities related to our goal. 

Step 2: Draft a fun, upbeat "Save the Date" email to send to the staff. 

Step 3: Generate a checklist of physical supplies (e.g., sticky notes, snacks, markers) I will need to buy for a group this size to execute the suggested ice-breakers.

###Event-Details:
[Insert event details. e.g., Who the event is for, where and when will it take place, what goals do you have]


Sample Profile


###Event-Details:
Event Name: Spring Registration Kickoff & Team Alignment Retreat
Attendees: 15 Student Services Staff Members
Duration: 3 hours (Friday afternoon, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM)
Primary Goal: To master the new 'Navigate' advising software module and boost team morale before the peak registration rush hits next month.


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